Parking lots including parking structures without mechanical movement include a type that a driver searches a parking space and a type that an attendant guides a driver to a parking space. In these parking lots, it is sometimes difficult to find a vacant parking space. In particular, in a large parking structure, even if an attendant is deployed, it is difficult for the attendant to always find a vacant parking space under a condition where many vehicles come and go. Therefore, a driver needs to find a vacant parking space by oneself.
To solve the above problem, a guidance-type parking system is known that directs a vehicle to a parking space. In this system, vacant parking spaces are shown in a display, e.g., in an entrance of a parking structure to let drivers to know the usable or available parking spaces. Further, this system sometimes includes direction display units such as lane markers disposed on all passages within the parking structure to guide drivers to vacant parking spaces by lighting up the lane markers leading to the relevant parking spaces. (Refer to Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1: JP-2000-285391 A
However, the above guidance-type parking system needs significant investment for the display, the lane markers, and the like, so that such a guidance-type parking system is not adopted in the most parking structures. As the result, a driver needs to find a usable parking space by oneself to park a vehicle in it.
When a driver finds a usable space, there is the following problem even if the parking structure is not crowded. That is, when a person is near a parked vehicle, a driver expects that the person drive the parked vehicle to depart from the space. The driver thereby sometimes tries to wait until the vehicle departs. In this case, when the person is actually about to ride on the parked vehicle, there is a reason for the driver to wait. In contrast, when the person has just left the parked vehicle, the parked area is not available. The driver thereby needs to find another space. Here, the driver sometimes moves the vehicle in a direction reverse to the predetermined traveling direction to find another parking space. This adversely affects overall smooth parking behavior flows of vehicles in the parking structure.
Further, suppose a case that an attendant guides a driver to a vacant space and, at this moment, a parked vehicle near the entrance of the parking structure that is used also for an exit is about to depart from the space. In this case, the attendant needs to guide the driver to a certain space remote from the entrance if the certain space alone is available at this moment. This does not meet user's intention to park the vehicle near the entrance of the parking structure.